Gameweek 4 of Footy9 brought a dramatic mix of fortunes as ten teams were involved in fixtures featuring four or more goals scored or conceded, directly impacting 26 of the 34 players in the contest. Five teams scored four-plus goals to claim the maximum +8 Footy9 points, while five others conceded four or more and handed their backers the -5 penalty.
Middlesbrough and Brighton were the headline acts among the positive returns. Middlesbrough’s 4-3 victory over Norwich at the Riverside Stadium rewarded all 11 players who backed them with +8 points. Norwich, selected by just one player, suffered the -5 penalty as they conceded four goals. Brighton’s 5-0 thrashing of Coventry at the Coventry Building Society Arena also yielded +8 points for their four backers, while Coventry’s two backers were hit with -5 points.
Leicester’s 4-3 win at Stockport County handed their sole backer +8 points. Stockport, picked by seven players, conceded four goals and all seven suffered the -5 penalty. Similarly, Southampton’s 4-1 home win against Bristol City earned +8 points for their 11 backers, while Bristol City’s three backers took the -5 hit.
York’s 4-0 win over Swindon Town was the only maximum +8 return that went unbacked, with no players selecting York. Swindon’s two backers were penalised with -5 points for conceding four goals.
In total, 21 players benefited from positive returns, while 13 suffered penalties. Eight players experienced both positive and negative events in the same gameweek. The maximum +8 returns accounted for 27 benefiting selection instances, with 15 suffering instances of the -5 penalty.
Historically, League One has seen 37 maximum +8 returns from 723 analysed matches, a 5.12% rate, with eight already this season. The Championship and Premier League have similar percentages around 4.7%, with seven and four +8 returns respectively so far this season. League Two’s rate is slightly lower at 3.89%, with three +8 returns to date.
Among the Footy9 leaderboard, PiqueBlinders emerged as the official gameweek winner with 29 points, aided by backing both Brighton and Middlesbrough, each delivering +8 points. Their winning margin was two points over second place. The maximum +8 returns from these teams were crucial contributors to their top score.
This gameweek’s carnage highlights the fine margins in Footy9, where backing teams involved in high-scoring games can yield maximum returns or costly penalties. Middlesbrough and Brighton’s +8 points rewarded a significant portion of the player base, while York’s unbacked +8 remains a missed opportunity for others.
